I am totally on board with Sheriff Ivey’s plan to bring STOMP (Sheriff Trained On-Site Marshal Program) to our schools. Why? I am afraid for the world our grandkids are inheriting. Schools today are not as I remember them. Nor is the family unit where we were taught respect for others and to follow the Golden Rule.

STOMP is sorely needed. I am a mature adult who holds a concealed carry permit, a member of the NRA, a certified pistol instructor and range safety officer, and a proud member of a wonderful nationwide organization of women shooters. I have attended Sheriff Ivey’s all-day class on civilian self defense through tactical shooting and decision-making. I continue to train frequently in the use of my firearm, as I will certainly use it if needed to protect myself or loved ones.

Having properly trained and vetted armed personnel patrolling our schools is something I never thought we would need. I believe in Sheriff Ivey’s proposal and his idea for 130 hours of practical training, background checks, psychological screenings and polygraph tests. I would add drug testing and fingerprinting. These volunteers, not the teachers, should be the first line of defense in an active shooting incident. Our teachers have more than enough to do educating our children and trying to maintain discipline and civility in the classroom. Unfortunately, they have also been tasked with “raising" children due to many parents not doing their job. Thank you, Sheriff Ivey, for looking out for all Brevard citizens.

Bonnie Venable, Merritt Island

Arm teachers? Never

While our sheriff was holding a press conference in support of arming our teachers, I was in Tallahassee attending the Rally in Tally in support of gun control, listening to teachers and others testify before the committee voting on changing Florida laws in response to the Parkland tragedy.

The teachers were saying that when the police officers finally broke through their locked classroom door, they had their guns drawn, ready to shoot. Their fear was that if they had also been armed — gun pointed toward the door, not knowing who was coming through that door — they would most probably be dead. Alternatively, if it was the shooter coming through their door, they quite probably might have know him, possibly even had him in one of their classes — and the teacher would have to make the split-second decision to kill that young person. And they could never, ever, live with that.

Arm our teachers? No. Never. They already have way too much to deal with.

Judith Langston, Cocoa Beach

It's not just the NRA but PACs, too

Don't blame just the NRA. The tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High brings to light something else that is threatening our country.

The influence that powerful PACs have over elected officials is undermining the very core on which this nation was founded, the voice of the people. The NRA has taken center stage as lawmakers kowtow to the demands of this powerful lobby. It is pitiful to watch politicians give lip service to constituents and tap dance around questions regarding gun safety. Our own Sheriff Ivey has avoided discussion regarding assault rifles. His controversial idea of putting armed volunteers in schools is a topic for another discussion.

Among many promises President Trump made was to "drain the swamp." Most took that to mean getting rid of Washington insiders as well as reducing the influence (i.e., huge monetary contributions) of powerful PACs and super PACs. The NRA is just one of many PACs and super PACs that dictate the agendas of lawmakers.

The voice of the people is being suppressed not only by the NRA but by other powerful lobbies of industries such as pharmaceuticals, insurance, finance, and oil. If President Trump wants to make this country great again he should keep his promise, drain the swamp, and let our citizens be heard.

Les Forster, Melbourne

We can change the gun culture

Louis Klarevas documents in his book “Rampage Nation” an astonishing decrease in mass shootings during the 10-year ban on assault weapons. His study on gun massacres was over a 50-year period.

John Paul Stevens, retired justice of the Supreme Court, stated in his book "Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution," that the Second Amendment gives only state militias the right to bear arms, not each citizen.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said that the 45 kinds of assault guns banned under Maryland law are not protected by the Second Amendment.

There are no logical reasons to shoot an assault gun in public. Hunters should only use guns designed for hunting and limited to hold 3 to 5 bullets.

Outlawing the use of assault weapons in public gives law enforcement the capability to arrest anyone carrying an assault weapon and confiscating the gun. This will greatly reduce or eliminate gun massacres.

A law can be written to allow individuals to own, keep and use an assault weapon only in a licensed gun range, under supervised control. The gun can never be removed and carried in public.

A determined individual armed with several assault weapons, many large-capacity magazines and a thoroughly thought-out plan cannot be stopped by a few armed guards or volunteers. You will need a SWAT team.